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Galperin Vadim Maksovich

(1933 - 1999)

Pavel A. Vatnik
About Galperin Vadim Maksovich
My personal acquaintance with Vadim Galperin took place during 1990-es and was induced mainly by joint work in editorial board of "the School of Economics" journal. The most amazing trait of Vadim Galperin was his incredible volume of knowledge of economy and economics, his remarkable capacity for work. He was the rare erudite person. It seemed that he read everything ever written. Vadim Maksovich was the brilliant connoisseur of the Russian economists' papers. He drove his interlocutors to discussions by his paradoxical assertions. For example:
- What is the international trade? This is not the trade of countries, but people trade with each other and firms with firms.
Or:
- I suppose there is a competition only in the oligopoly market.
- Why is it, Vadim Maksovich? How is that? What about the perfect competition?
- The paradox is that it is impossible "to compete" under perfect competition. A firm may only adapt itself to the price supposed by the market (why to "compete" with lower price if you can sell any output you wish by the existing price?). You need just choose you output. For example, when it is raining you can just open your umbrella and that is all you can to "compete" with the rain".
We can mention two features of Galperin's works. First he used to consider microeconomics as a single whole. For him all parts of economics were always closely linked to each other. Second he used to consider every statement of economic theory as an episode in the history of economic thought and compared with the thoughts of famous economists of past and present centuries. His books differ from usual text-books. They can be considered as thoughts aloud inviting a reader to take part in them.
Vadim M. Galperin was the brilliant writer. One of his major contribution was working at Russian economic terminology.

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